Importance: Consumers purchase a wide variety of consumer products and come into contact with these products on a daily basis. Manufacturers invest deeply in developing new products or improving existing products, in order to produce a positive impact on the lives of consumers. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the impact of over-the-counter skin care products on the quality of life (QoL) of female consumers. Design and Measures: A QoL instrument developed for consumer products (the Farage QoL with an added Skin Care Module) was used to assess the impact of a 28-day facial skin care regimen using commercially available products formulated to improve elasticity, firmness and hydration, and to correct age- and sun-related skin color. Responses were collected prior to study commencement, at completion of the product usage stage, and after a period of withdrawal of the product with reversion to a basic skin care regimen. Participants: Two main study groups from Australia included 89 new mothers, i.e., women with children 2 years and under (mean age ± SD was 34 ± 4.8), and a national representative sample of 91 women (45 ± 12). An additional test group from China consisted of 40 younger cosmetic users (25 ± 4.3). The Skin Care Module was not included in the instrument for the third group. Results: After 28-days of usage, both test groups in the main study showed significant improvement in three of five items in the Skin Care Module (improved feelings of empowerment, happiness and self-esteem). Improvements persisted after 2 weeks of product withdrawal. In the main QoL instrument, the New Mothers group showed significant improvement in the Well-Being domain, driven by improvements in the Self-Image and Self Competence subdomains. The National Representative group showed improvements in the Energy and Vitality domain, driven by improvements in the Personal Pleasure, Physical State and Routine Activity subdomains. The additional group in the China study showed results similar to the New Mothers group. Conclusions and Relevance: A quality and efficacious skin care regimen can have a positive impact on the QoL of consumers. Differences in responses of the test groups were likely related to differences in the mean age and differences in time available to look after themselves.
A qualitative study of the impact of Crohn's disease from a patient's perspective: Table 1
